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https://theconversation.com/high-coral-cover-amid-intense-heatwaves-and-bleaching-heres-how-both-can-be-true-on-the-great-barrier-reef-235510>
"It was another difficult summer on the Great Barrier Reef. A serious marine
heatwave caused the fifth mass coral bleaching event since 2016. Intense rain
from Cyclone Jasper washed huge volumes of freshwater and sediment onto corals
closer to shore, and Cyclone Kirrily crossed the central region. Some parts of
the southern reef endured heat stress at levels higher than previously
measured.
Has this summer’s bleaching killed many corals on the Barrier Reef – or will
they recover? The answer is – we don’t know yet. In the latest Australian
Institute of Marine Science coral cover report, released today, we report coral
cover has increased slightly in all three regions, reaching regional high
points in two of them.
How can that be? The answer is simple: lag time. Between 2018 and 2022, large
areas of the Great Barrier Reef had a reprieve. Marine heatwaves and bleaching
still occurred, but the damage was not too extreme. Coral began to recover and
regrow.
Over the 2023–24 summer, the heat returned with a vengeance, triggering
widespread coral bleaching. But bleached coral isn’t dead yet – it’s very
stressed. The summer’s bleaching is only just winding up now, in August. We
won’t know how much coral actually died until we complete our next round of
surveys. We’ll be back in the water from September to find out."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
